Classic Outlook is going away: what the new Outlook means for you

Many offices have worked with Outlook for twenty years. The layout, with folders on the left, messages in the middle and a reading pane on the right, is second nature to staff. Microsoft is now moving users step by step from classic Outlook to the new Outlook. If you only use Microsoft 365, that is mostly a matter of getting used to it. If your mail is hosted elsewhere, more changes.

What changes with the new Outlook

The new Outlook looks more like Outlook on the web than like the old program. Buttons, menus and settings have moved, and some of what you were used to in the classic version works differently or is not there yet.

What matters more is what you cannot see. If you add an account from another provider to the new Outlook for Windows, for example an IMAP account with your own hosting company, Outlook syncs that account through Microsoft’s cloud. Your mail, calendar and contacts then pass through Microsoft, even if your mail server is in Europe. Classic Outlook talked directly to your own mail server.

Microsoft is also building in Copilot. Those AI features run in Microsoft’s cloud. If you ask Copilot to summarise an email or draft a reply, the content of that email goes to Microsoft.

Who should care

Not everyone needs to worry. If your company already runs entirely on Microsoft 365, your mail is already with Microsoft and little changes on that front.

It is different if:

• you deliberately keep your mail away from Microsoft, for example with a European provider;
• you work in a sector where confidentiality weighs heavily, such as healthcare, law, notarial work, accountancy or government;
• you handle client data and need to be able to explain where it goes.

Then you will want to know whether your mail program routes your messages through a US cloud. Why that kind of dependency matters is explained in less dependent on US technology.

The alternatives at a glance

There are good mail programs that talk directly to your own mail server.

Thunderbird is free, open source and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. It is a mature program with many settings and add-ons. Its layout differs from Outlook, so staff will need some time to adjust.

Apple Mail comes with every Mac, iPhone and iPad and works well with IMAP. It is only available on Apple devices, so it is no answer for an office with Windows PCs.

eM Client has a layout similar to Outlook and supports many kinds of accounts. For business use you need a paid licence.

Webmail needs no installation and works on any computer. For people who spend the whole day in their mail, with several accounts and many folders, a separate program often feels faster and clearer.

Which one fits depends on your devices and your staff. An office that runs entirely on Macs can do fine with Apple Mail. If free and open source matter most to you, look at Thunderbird.

Northmail

We built Northmail for companies that want to keep the familiar layout of classic Outlook without their mail passing through a US cloud.

• Free, for macOS, Windows and Linux, and for iPhone and iPad.
• Laid out like classic Outlook, so staff have little to relearn.
• Works with Binadit Workspace, Exchange, Gmail and any IMAP account. Northmail talks directly to your mail server.
• An AI assistant, Ask Northmail, that runs entirely on your own computer. It helps you write, reply, revise a draft, plan an appointment, summarise a conversation and find mail. Your mail does not go to an outside AI service for this.

So you do not have to change mail provider first in order to switch. Northmail also works alongside Exchange, so you can see at your own pace whether it suits you.

How to switch

1. List the mail accounts your company uses and which provider hosts them.
2. Choose a program that fits your devices and the way your staff work.
3. Try it with one or two colleagues first.
4. Then roll it out to the rest of the team.

Read more on the page about an Outlook alternative or download Northmail and try it yourself.